A new batch of Black Widow Stout is underway. The mash smells wonderful and so far all is going smoothly.

I don’t have a basic stout on tap right now, just a Russian Imperial Stout, and I’m looking for more of a session dark ale. I’ll be trying to get this ale in kegs before we leave for Italy on October 1st. The last time I brewed this stout, I oaked half the batch with bourbon infused, medium toast oak cubes. It was significantly better than the un-oaked keg. The flavor was more complex with just a hint of oak, and the overall mouth feel was creamier and smooth. I do worry about over-oaking the ale, so I’ll be carefully monitoring the oaking process to get the stout off the wood before it tastes like a mouthful of toothpicks.